With thunderstorms predicted in many parts of the country this week, Asthma UK is offering important advice to the 5.2 million people in the UK with asthma.

During thunderstorms large quantities of pollen can be released into the air which can trigger asthma symptoms and raise the risk of an emergency admission six-fold. On an average day over 200 people will be admitted to hospital with potentially life-threatening asthma attacks, so the increased risk during volatile weather means it is even more important for people with asthma to keep their asthma medicines with them.

It is believed that during thunderstorms, downdraughts of cold air sweep up high concentrations of pollen and spores. These allergenic particles are then thrust into the air, where the moisture breaks them up into pieces that can penetrate deep into the lungs. This can induce attacks even in those who have previously only had mild asthma. During thunderstorms it is therefore best to stay inside and close windows to keep allergens out. » Read the rest of the entry..

This is when my husband and I would start getting our asthmatic and allergic daughter ready to go back to school.

Asthma inhalers for her backpack? Check. Epinephrine, in case she had a serious allergic reaction? Check. Claritin, Nasonex and other medications to clear up those stuffed sinuses? Check.

Notes from her doctor to go in the school files? Ready to go. Permission forms from us allowing school officials to administer drugs? Ditto.

Those were the days. Last night, this teenage daughter came into the room where I was watching the Olympics and told me she needed a nebulizer treatment (for asthma). “Can I help,” I asked. “Mom, you know I know how to do all that,” she replied indignantly, turning on her heels.

Indeed. She’s been puffing on the inhaler, taking the medications, and relying on the nebulizer for years now. She knows her body, when she’s not feeling right, and what she needs to do.
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Sellheart via Health News

The millions of Americans who are overweight or obese are putting their health in jeopardy. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death, and can raise your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, asthma and even gum disease. The underlying causes of obesity are numerous, from genetic disposition to binge eating, which may be caused by the same brain changes responsible for addiction. This link prompted researchers to test a potential addiction drug on lab rats bred to be obese-with surprising results.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory tested the drug, called vigabatrin or GVG, in 50 rats, some of which were bred obese and some were of normal weight. The animals were either given injections of various amounts of vigabatrin or a placebo for up to 40 days. The genetically obese rats lost up to 19 percent of their body weight, and normal-weight rats lost 12 to 20 percent of their body weight. “Our results appear to demonstrate that vigabratrin induced satiety in these animals,” said Amy DeMarco, who worked on the study. “When we gave GVG, they would steadily lose weight, and when we took them off GVG, they would steadily gain weight,” she told Reuters Health. » Read the rest of the entry..

Here asthma therapy medicine, the realities of having asthma is that you will probably need to take some type of asthma medicine for the rest of your life. There is no known cure for asthma and controlling asthma symptoms generally requires you to take asthma at least on an as needed basis for flare-ups. Most people need to take preventive, or controller, asthma medicine every day, or even twice a day.

A study reported in the April 6th issue of Thorax journal by Elizabeth Holloway, a Research Physiotherapist in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University College London, involved 85 patients divided into a control group and a treatment group.
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Two of asthma medicine or rescue medicines, to relieve symptoms after they begin, and controller medications, to prevent asthma symptoms from arising in the first place.

In addition, asthma medications could be separated by mode of administration. While most asthma medicines are given via inhaler, some are swallowed in pill or syrup format, and one is injected.

For goals of asthma rescue medicines keep asthma treatment and had Asthma Tips

Try its. Your asthma treatment should be part of an overall asthma management plan that you develop with your asthma doctor. Your doctor is guided by current asthma treatment » Read the rest of the entry..

If you’ve had asthma for some time, you may even accept living with a certain level of wheezing and shortness of breath. On the other hand, if you were recently diagnosed with asthma, you probably wish it would just go away.

Goals of asthma treatment

Many experts agree that with today’s medications, living an active, healthy life with minimal symptoms is a realistic goal. In fact, it’s what you should aim for. With proper treatment, you can expect to:

- Take part fully in everyday activities such as work and school, along with exercise and other physical activities.
- Minimize such asthma symptoms as coughing, wheezing, tightness in chest, and shortness of breath. » Read the rest of the entry..

Achoo! It’s flu season, and while fevers, sore throats, muscle aches, headaches and stomach symptoms such as nausea and vomiting can be symptoms of a variety of illnesses, they can also signal the flu.

While some local principals say their schools seem pretty much unscathed by the virus this year, Principal Angelo Kidd says Northwest High School has definitely seen an increase in absences from the flu.

The school’s attendance rate is usually around 95 percent; Kidd recently said that amount dipped to about 91 percent for several days in a row. At a school with more than 2,400 students, that means about 100 more students per day have been out sick. Teachers have also been hit by various illnesses that have been going around, Kidd says. » Read the rest of the entry..

ScienceDaily — Batches of homemade chicken soup — fondly known as “Grandma’s Penicillin” — will be more appealing to stuffy-nosed cold and flu victims this winter if prepared with plenty of celery. That’s the take-home message from a study which reports identification of the flavor-boosting components in celery.

In the new study, Kikue Kubota and colleagues note that cooks have long recognized celery’s “remarkable” ability to enchance the complex flavors of soups and broths. Almost magically, celery takes on a sweet-spicy flavor after boiling, helping to give food a thick, full-bodied, satisfying taste. Until now, however, scientists have been unable to track down the roots of celery’s effects.

The scientists prepared batches of chicken broth with and without a volatile extract from celery. Panels of tasters confirmed that the flavor of soup made with celery extract was more » Read the rest of the entry..

Every new year, Lisa Hark finds herself waiting for her kids at the bus stop with a bunch of other moms, most of whom have colds. Hark, on the other hand, can’t remember the last time she was sick.

Her secret? Hark, longtime director of the Nutrition Education and Prevention Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, credits, in part, her well-balanced diet. She regularly eats a variety of citrus fruits and lean protein, which she says helps her immune system stay strong.

Seems she’s on to something. As colds and the flu make the rounds at your office this winter, Hark and other nutrition experts say there’s no reason to assume getting sick is inevitable. By regularly incorporating certain foods into your meals, in addition to maintaining good hygiene and an exercise regimen, you may be able to stave off illness or, at the least, shorten its duration.
In Pictures: Best Cold- And Flu-Fighting Foods » Read the rest of the entry..

The uterine cancer detection greater upon 1st screening, accurated detections

Uterine cancer was detected nine times as often in women receiving screenings for the first time than those who had already had one or more screenings, according to an analysis by the Chiba Foundation for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention in Chiba.

The foundation study, led by the organization’s director, Takehiko Fujisawa, also revealed that only 10 percent of women who received municipal screenings for uterine cancer were those doing so for the first time.

To achieve the central government goal of a 20 percent reduction in cancer mortality in 10 years, the foundation said it is imperative to increase the ratio of first-time screening recipients.
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